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 On the eve of their first birthday, TESS CURRAN chats to CLAIRE LEONARD of holistic health & beauty centre Black Dove about the BLACK DOVE BLOCK PARTY, set to take over the streets of West End this Thursday evening.
TESS CURRAN: So tell us about this Block Party. What prompted you to put it together?
CLAIRE LEONARD: Well, it coincides with our first birthday here at Black Dove. When we first started we envisaged that we could one day have a block party – much like Dave Chapelle’s Block Party, if you’ve ever seen that film, so we really wanted to do something that would have that sort of vibe and feel.
TC: So that’s why you’ve got the music, the circus performers, the dance troupes?
CL: Yep, we’ve got Spacifix and The Drone Tree. These guys are amazing in the hip hop scene; they’re actually – once again – friends of friends of friends of ours. So we’ve got those guys and we’ve got Illkid, he’s a DJ, also really amazing, and a couple of dance squads as well coming along. Plus a really good friend of ours, Rudy, he’s a circus performer and used to perform with Circa. He does a whole bunch of his own circus acts so we’re really excited about him doing a set for us too. It’s really beautiful because everyone’s just donating their time.
TC: Wow, sounds like a lot’s going on. What else can we expect?
CL: We’ll be running some workshops too – a Latin workshop and an African workshop and a Yoga workshop, all upstairs in our studio ... And it’s all free!
TC: Have other West End locals been helpful in getting it organised and lending you support?
CL: It’s been amazing. The West End community is just insane because everyone just knows everyone...We’ve been so lucky because there’s been so many people around us who know us and who want to help out, plus some great PR and event management guys who have stepped in too.
TC: If there’s one thing West End’s definitely famous for, it’s its food. Will the precinct’s renowned multicultural fare also be featuring?
CL: Yes, definitely. We’ll have a whole bunch of different stalls, including food stalls. Stove cafe are getting involved with amazing organic and local produce goodies; there’ll be Blackstar coffee and a company that do French crepes and desserts. Plus we’ll have free Indian henna, vintage clothing stalls, jewellery, environmentally-friendly products and a whole bunch of other stuff in this little market underneath our building. So that will be pretty cool.
TC: All up, what would you say you love most about West End?
CL: I would say the community feel – everyone’s welcome, it doesn’t matter what background you have or what demographic you’re from, people will be walking along with a smile on their face and probably stop and have a chat with you. And it’s probable that you didn’t realise that they actually know about six of your friends! So the two degrees of separation in Brisbane is definitely in West End ... But it’s just a really cool place, a really close-knit community without being cliquey. Everyone just hangs out and does their thing and the whole place just has a really cool vibe about it, which is why I think it’s fitting for us to have a block party!
The BLACK DOVE BLOCK PARTY will kick off at 6pm, Thursday Apr 1 at 33 Vulture Street, West End. Bands play till 10.30pm with stalls, markets, food, workshops and events for both adults and children running all evening. For more info head to www.blackdove.com.au.
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